Farmers Movement Archive

BJP trying to use Kejriwal’s popularity to garner support for farm laws: Sisodia

Delhi’s deputy chief minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia on Sunday threatened to take legal action against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for sharing a doctored video of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on a social media platform to claim that the CM praised the three farm laws.BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra tweeted an edited 18-second clip of Kejriwal on Saturday, which the AAP described as a desperate attempt to ride the credibility of Kejriwal to garner support on the farm laws.“Yesterday (Saturday), the BJP had tweeted a video claiming that Kejriwal in an interview has supported the three farm laws. This doctored video was created by selectively editing a long interview of the Delhi CM and placing fake bytes in some places,” Sisodia said at a press conference. In the original video, Kejriwal criticised the three farm laws.The tweet was labelled as manipulated media by Twitter, described by the micro-blogging site as content which “has been substantially edited in a manner that fundamentally alters its composition, sequence, timing, or framing”.Sambit Patra did not respond to calls and messages for a comment on the matter.Thousands of farmers have been protesting for over two months on Delhi’s borders against the three new farm laws passed by the Parliament in September that see to open up agricultural trade. The Aam Aadmi Party has pledged support to the farmers and appealed to the Centre to repeal the laws.Addressing the press conference at AAP’s office in ITO, Sisodia alleged that the violence on Republic Day (January 26) during a tractor parade by the farmers was a “well-planned conspiracy hatched by the BJP”. He added that both the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have lost credibility because of the Central government’s refusal to repeal the three laws, and their inability to convince people about the benefits of these legislations.Earlier on Sunday, Kejriwal reiterated his support to protesting farmers and said he will offer all possible help to them.Also read: Police cut off Singhu border from CapitalResponding to a tweet by farmer leader Naresh Tikait, thanking the CM for providing basic facilities at the Gazipur protest site, Kejriwal tweeted, “Naresh ji. You people are struggling so much. I will help in every way through my party and my government.”Sisodia said the BJP, having lost the trust of the people, was resorting to malign the image of Kejriwal “who is the only leader with credibility among masses”. The original video of the interview was also played during the press conference.“Today, the BJP’s credibility is at an all-time low. The lack of trust for the BJP and the Central government over the farm laws is so much that the saffron party is now doctoring Kejriwal’s statements to protect their image and convince people about the farm laws. PM Modi has enumerated the benefits of the farm laws on several occasions, but farmers have understood that they are only being cheated,” the senior AAP leader said.Sisodia also said when the BJP couldn’t explain the farm laws to the farmers, it started branding them as “traitors” and “Khalistanis”.“Then BJP conducted a sponsored protest at the Red Fort and disrespected the national flag. Now, Indian public has understood the BJP’s ill intentions and they do not believe in conspiracies. The BJP sent their goons to the Ghazipur border who attacked the farmers and their leader Rakesh Tikait. BJP sent their goons to Singhu border where they disrespected the Sikh community by throwing their turbans and attacking protesting farmers. They tried to portray it as an attack by the locals, but thankfully the Indian public saw through this and understood the BJP’s tactics,” he said.The Delhi unit of the BJP said Sisodia was levelling “baseless allegations” that the BJP had planned the January 26 violence.“Sisodia, like his party colleagues, has levelled allegations against the BJP and raised questions on the credibility of the Central government without any basis. In fact, farmer leaders including Rakesh Tikait have today expressed willingness to talk to PM Modi,” said Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor.

Hindustan Times

01-02-2021

Delhi